Valve has ended the suspense and announced several new products and technologies at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2015.
So what were the big announcements from Valve, you wonder? Gear up for Source 2, Steam Link, Steam Machines and Steam VR.
Source 2
Valve announced the second-generation engine, Source 2, which will be free of charge for content developers. Considering the popular game Half Life 2 was developed on Source, could Source 2 see the announcement of Half Life 3? We sure hope so!
"The value of a platform like the PC is how much it increases the productivity of those who use the platform. With Source 2, our focus is increasing creator productivity," said Jay Stelly, Valve technology specialist.
The idea behind Source 2 is to let amateurs and gamers themselves participate in developing and creating games.
Steam Link
Valve also took the wraps off its in-home streaming box, Steam Link, which will basically be able to stream games on a PC to a TV. This $49.99 box is part of Valve's Steam Machine initiative and will let gamers who use PCs run Steam games on a TV without an HDMI.
The streaming box has USB ports and is capable of supporting 1080p resolutions and 60fps and will launch in November this year. Right in time for the holiday season!
Steam Machines
Valve also showed off Steam Machines made by its partners Alienware and Falcon Northwest. The Steam Machines will have the same price tag as the gaming consoles, but offer superior performance.
Several other Valve partners are slated to release more Steam Machines in November.
Steam VR
The company also unveiled its VR headset dubbed Vive at the GDC 2015. Valve has developed this headset in partnership with HTC. The Steam VR is set to make its way to developers by spring and a commercial launch is slated for end 2015.
The Vive is composed of two technologies: Steam Lighthouse, which is a "room scale tracking system," and a VR input system.
"In order to have a high-quality VR experience, you need high-resolution, high-speed tracking," Valve VR engineer Alan Yates said. "Lighthouse gives us the ability to do this for an arbitrary number of targets at a low enough [cost] that it can be incorporated into TVs, monitors, headsets, input devices, or mobile devices."
Lighthouse will be available for free for hardware manufacturers who are intrigued by the technology.
